contemporary

Instant Karma

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I picked this up because I absolutely adore Marissa Meyer’s Lunar Chronicles series. And guess what? It did not disappoint! While it’s not the greatest book in the universe, I really enjoyed it. That’s what it all comes down to, isn’t it?

It’s cute and endearing if a tad predictable. Great beach read or a good listen for a road trip. Yes, our main character Prudence is self-centered and judgemental, but she wants to be better. In fact, she does try to be better and even learns some life lessons over the course of the plot.

Now, it’s fairly obvious in some places what will happen. The novel follows a fairly standard rom-com narrative with introducing the couple, them finalizing realized what we’ve known all along (they like each other!), some sort of fight/split, and a reunion at the end. Don’t let that spoil it for you!

The things I loved:

  • Prudence learning that her judgemental attitude is not serving her as well as she thought, and her judgments are often wrong and hurtful.
  • The sea rescue!
  • Quint – until I didn’t.
  • The narrator – I listened to the audio version and felt she did a great job.

Things I didn’t love:

  • The obvious way Prudence was doing things wrong, but that was part of her journey, I suppose necessary for the book to happen.
  • The instant karma device – I’m not sure it was necessary, but I guess it worked ok? Also, it would be something kind of cool to have personally, but Prudence just didn’t get it for almost the entire book.

Overall, as mentioned at the start, this is a great beach read, or for any day when you don’t want to read something serious or heavy.

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Thanks to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley.com for a free advanced copy of the audiobook in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.

Day 56 – Ordinary Hazards: A Novel

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This book was so boring. Emma, our narrator, alternates between telling us real-time events happening in the small town dive bar, The Final Final, and showing us flashbacks of her life.

It appears to be a typical city-slicker moves to the country type of story. I wouldn’t know what it actually is because I only read the first third of the book. I kept waiting something, anything interesting, and in its absence, I quit reading.

I received a free copy of this novel from NetGalley.com in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.

Rating: 0.5 out of 5.

All We Ever Wanted by Emily Giffin

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All We Ever Wanted by Emily Giffin

I received an advance copy of this book from the publisher (through NetGalley) in exchange for a fair and honest review.

I’ve read and enjoyed several other books by Emily Giffin, so when All We Ever Wanted popped up on NetGalley, I jumped on the opportunity to read this one before it was release.

All We Ever Wanted tells the story of a teenage girl, Lyla, who is the victim of bullying. Finch, a boy she has a crush on, shares a compromising photo of her with his friends via text message. The photo quickly spreads, and Lyla’s father, Tom, and Finch’s mother, Nina, get involved.

This incident shows some of the pitfalls of the technology era we live in, where teenagers think it’s acceptable to take and share less than appropriate photos of themselves, and others, online. It reminds me of !3 Reasons Why, and the important message of why we should have zero tolerant for bullying.

Alternating view points, the story centers on Lyla, and her desires to fit in and forgot about the incident, while Tom and Nina feel justice is deserved and want the truth to come out. Having the story told from these 3 view points was essential to the story, showing how different parents and children react to situations.

The book also touches on racial and class bias. Lyla is half Brazilian, and she and Tom live on the poor side of town, while Nina and her son Finch, live in mansion and attend the local country club. Tom is sure Windsor Academy, the prestigious private school Lyla and Finch attend, will fail to punish Finch appropriately since his parents have the means to make large financial donations to the school, and have done so in the past.

Overall, was very engaging, and a quick read. The only drawback, in my opinion, is that after the slow buildup of the characters and events, the ending feels rushed and unsatisfactory. I wanted more depth and substance. The flash forward in time was nice, but felt lacking.

book review: Capital

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Capital by John Lanchester
My rating: 2.5 / 5

OK, so this book wasn’t bad. I don’t think I would call it good either. It’s just not bad enough that I didn’t quit in the middle, it’s just almost good enough that I wanted to see how it ended.  The problem is that it just sort of ends. No conclusion, for the most part.

The bad: long, a tad boring, not a super interesting topic, too many characters to really follow along at points.

The good: since not a lot happens, there is plenty of time for character development!